Endoscopes are well-known in the art and are commonly used for numerous medical procedures. A control section of an endoscope may include a suction cylinder, air/water cylinder, and the like. Valves may be inserted into these cylinders to control various functions of the endoscope.
For example, an air/water valve for an endoscope may be inserted into an air/water cylinder of the endoscope to provide air and water to the endoscope. When the air/water valve is in a normal position, air escapes from a vent in the valve. When insufflation is desired, an operator places a finger over the vent, which redirects the air towards the distal end of the endoscope. When the operator engages the air/water valve (e.g. by depressing the valve), air is redirected to a water bottle and creates pressure in the bottle that causes water to flow towards the distal end of the endo scope.
After each use, an endoscope will undergo cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and the like to prevent the spread of disease, germs, bacteria, illness, and the like. Many components of an endoscope may be reusable, such as an air/water valve, and must also be cleaned, disinfected, and/or sterilized between uses. Unfortunately, there is usually a great expense associated with maintaining sterility of the equipment.
Reusable air/water valves may be assembled from the combination of several metal, plastic, and/or rubber components. As such, there are significant costs associated with the manufacturing of reusable air/water valves.
Thus, there is a need to develop new disposable air/water valves and methods that reduce or eliminate the need for repeated cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization and reduce or eliminate the risk of infecting the patient. Air/water valves that have reduced risk of clogging would also be very useful.